BlackBerry banked on the launch of its Z10 and Z30 in 2013 to turn its fortunes around, but instead the Z10 was widely panned by critics, culminating in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and the ousting of CEO Torsthen Heins.
Enter the BlackBerry Passport, another highly anticipated mobile device that BlackBerry hopes will be a hit with consumers. According to International Business Times, the BlackBerry Passport release date is set for September 24, in series of media events held in Dubai, Toronto, and London.
BlackBerry Passport Specs: What to Expect
The Passport comes in a sturdy, large square design and has a keypad. Size and weight dimensions are expected to be 128 by 90.3 by 9.3mm, and 194.4 grams, respectively. Gizbot notes that the Passport will also likely sport a 13 megapixel rear-facing camera, 4.5-inch HD display with a 1440 by 1440 pixel resolution, a quad-core chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB storage, as well as an option for additional microSD storage.
Another distinguishing feature on the already distinguishable square device is the 3450 mAh battery. When compared to the smaller 2880 mAH battery of the Z30, such a large sized battery as that of the Passport is one-of-a-kind in the smartphone world.
Is Bigger Really Better?
In the current world of gadgets, everything seems to be getting smaller. The BlackBerry Passport, however, is taking a different approach as one of the largest mobile phones released within the last two years. ZDNet notes, “Although the US domestic market may be cynical of the company’s new smartphone . . . users in Asia and Europe—two regions where people are more at home with larger devices—could succeed.”
Even though the Passport might not be fancied by the most convenience-loving or aesthetic-driven consumer due to its large size, including a large screen that makes it an ideal phone for practical uses such as viewing documents, as would be the case in working situations. Additionally its larger battery offers longer-than-average life, indicating that the Passport will likely run longer than the Z10 and Z30 following a complete charge.
For over a decade, BlackBerry (formerly known as RIM: Research In Motion) has played a significant role in mobile innovation, particularly in the enterprise mobility space. However, in recent years the Canadian company has faced steep competition from the increasing dominance of Apple and Samsung devices in the marketplace.
What do you think of the BlackBerry Passport release? Will it get the company back on track, or will it stumble as much as the Z10?
Image courtesy of Flickr
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